Girl in the Arena comes out today and I’d love to see people picking it up to read because I think it makes for some great discussion.  The more that I think about the book, the more I like it.  It has some fascinating insight into a culture that has gone mad for violence and touches on some deep issues.

Girl in the Arena is a dystopian novel but man, it felt like the culture was not such a far fetched idea.  There are a lot of references to current culture – Skyping, Wikipedia, watching Crouching Tiger and Stranger than Fiction but wrapped up in all of this is the Gladiator sport.  And it’s actually more than a sport, it’s an entire culture that began first underground at about the time of the Vietnam War.  Gladiators now fight in front of large crowds and a TV audience and can fight anything from animals to other Gladiators to the death.  It’s a blood sport more popular than football or soccer.

Lyn was born into the Gladiator lifestyle and living the rules and bylaws of the association is second nature to her family.  Her mother is a high profile Glad wife who has been married and widowed by seven Gladiators.  Lyn is known as the daughter who had seven fathers.  They are celebrities.  Tommy, her current father has been matched up with Uber, a new gifted young fighter and if there’s a bylaw that Lyn knows all to well it’s – Never leave the stadium when your father is dying. Uber wins Lyn’s dowry which means that she must marry him.  But after watching her mother lose seven husbands, the last thing that Lyn wants to do is become a Glad wife.  But the Association is intent on her celebrity wedding.  To win her freedom, she challenges Uber to a fight in the arena.  It’s a  first for the association and they’ll do anything for publicity.  The only problem is – she might actually like the guy.  And while she considers herself a fighter, she actually doesn’t like violence.

I loved Lyn’s little brother Thad.  Although, it’s not stated specifically, I imagine that he is Autistic.  Everything that Lyn does, she does for Thad.  I loved their relationship.  Lyn’s relationship with her mother was odd in the sense that she seemed to be taking care of her instead of the other way around.  Plus, I always find it odd when children call their parents by their first name.

Stylistically, I found that the choice to not include quotation marks in dialogue to be very interesting.  It took me more than half of the book to be able to see past it.  It was really hard to read this way at first and took me out of the story.  I honestly don’t know why the dialogue was this way.  I was okay with it the second half of the book after I got in the rhythm of the book.  You can get a slight idea of what I’m talking about in the following passage where Lyn recounts the first time she went to her first Glad fight at the age of five.

– Kitten, we’re going to see some funny things today.  Men being a . . . . little silly.

She rubbed my knuckles with her thumbs as she spoke.

– If we see anything that makes us a little sad or upset, we just have to make a game of it.

I said I wanted to play a game.  And she started over.

– The men are going to look like they’re having a big fight.  Your father is a famous fighter, so this is something to be proud of.

– He’s a gladiator, I said.

– Yes, exactly, and we know that gladiators hav weapons.  Like . . . axes and knives and . . .

– And clubs.

[. . . . ]

– Yes, clubs too.  Good girl.  So nothing to be concerned about.  And I brought your coloring book and crayons.  And look, she said, reaching into her bag and pulling out my favorite stuffed animal.  — I brought your dog and her pajamas if she gets tired.

This is also one of those covers that isn’t truly representative of the book’s character.  I personally like the cover but Lyn is actually bald for the entirety of the book.  She’s got a nice set of hair in that cover.

Girl in the Arena explores a world of violence and how the lines between reality and games are blurred.  It’s a story that I won’t forget simply because it is SO disturbing.  How does a culture move from being normal to one where killing each other for sport is celebrated?  I don’t think this book will be for everybody.  It is bloody.  So be warned.  But it’s worth picking up.  A fascinating premise and story line.

And although I think it stands completely on it’s own, yes, its true, for fans of The Hunger Games . . . .

Other bloggers on the Kidz Book Buzz tour:  Abby the Librarian, A Patchwork of Books, All About Children’s Books, Becky’s Book Reviews, Fireside Musings, Homeschool Book Buzz, KidzBookBuzz.com, Maw Books Blog, My Own Little Corner of the World, Reading is My Superpower, Through a Child’s Eyes.
Links of interest:  Lise Haines website and on twitter.
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Publisher: Bloomsbury. October 13, 2009.
Hardcover, 336 pages. ISBN 1599903725
Girl in the Arena is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

Maw Books:  You say you wrote Crocodaddy based on your own memories with your own father and watching  your two sons play in the backyard pool.  What was the moment like when it “clicked” and you realized that you had the base for a fun story?

Kim Norman: Many of my inspirations come from wordplay. I just love words, especially made up words, which kids are good at inventing.  So I kept thinking Crocodaddy MUST be in a book, and probably in rhyme, but… what KIND of book.  That took a bit more time.

Maw Books:  Did you start writing it right away or did you let it “stew” for a bit?

Kim Norman: Yes, I’d say as much as a couple of years. I like to walk in the early morning, and I’d think about it then, during my walks. Not every day for two years, of course, just now and then. Finally I drafted a version that had some solid rhymes and a bit of suspense, but my critique group thought it might be a bit too intense for toddlers, maybe even scary. So during another walk, the rhythm of that refrain came to me, (”Crocodaddy, Crocodaddy, whatcha gonna do?….”) and somehow that added extra playfulness to the story.

Maw Books:  The illustrations for Crocodaddy by David Walker are adorable.  What is it like to put your book into the hands of an illustrator in hopes that they have the same vision as you?

Kim Norman: You know, that is such fun. I always wait with anticipation to see what they come up with. Not just how the characters will look, but also how they add to my story. So far, none of my illustrators have disappointed me in that regard. I often show students during school visits how the illustrators have added to the story beyond my words on the page. I’ve already begun to see sketches for TEN ON THE SLED, one of the two books I’ve got coming out next year. Again, the illustrator made me laugh out loud with humorous touches she added to flesh out my story. And, of course, with CROCODADDY, David Walker’s paintings are so lush, I want to jump into the paintings and join the fun.

Maw Books:  What is your favorite spread in Crocodday and why?

Kim Norman: Gosh, hard to pick just one. Can I cheat and pick 2? The first is “slowly, s-l-o-w-l-y Crocodaddy sinks.” I like not only David’s painting, but the design of the whole page, including the way the book designer arranged the text. (Oh and let me just put in a plug for book designers everywhere, at this point. At Sterling, a young man named Scott was in charge of the book’s overall design. It was he who chose that delightful crocodile-bumpy typeface for the cover, the text arrangements and all that other great stuff. Such an important contribution to the quality of the book.)

Number 2, a page that’s so sweet it speaks for itself without a single word from me, is the final page where dad and son are walking off at the end of a fun day. I won’t give away the delightful surprise on that page, but students always gasp with satisfaction when I point it out.

Maw Books:  That end illustration is wonderful.  You have illustrated books for other authors.  Do you ever intend to illustrate one of your own books?

Kim Norman: Well, to be honest, I just did that one book, THE MUSEUM DUCK, which is sold locally in our county museum. It was a great experience and a nice credit to get me started, but the longer I watch the amazing illustrators in my critique group as well as the illustrators of my own books, the more I know I’d still have to learn if I were ever to illustrate my own books. I’m a graphic artist, but my drawing muscles have withered in the past decade or two thanks to clip art. So, while I’d be very capable of designing the layout and choosing typefaces, I think I’ll have to leave the illustrating to the real pros until I’m closer to retirement, with more time to hone my skills.

Maw Books:  Crocodaddy is the perfect book to read-a-loud to a child because of the tempo and rhyme.  I’m not a writer so I’m clueless on all of this but is getting it just right difficult to do or does it come naturally to you?

Kim Norman: I adore writing in rhyme. It seems to come naturally to me, although I probably picked up many tips and tuned my ear to it by reading old poets when I was a child. Our house was full of my dad’s poetry books, like A Children’s Garden of Verse and A Treasury of the Familiar. Rhyme is the only type of writing I find addictive. I have to keep at it until it’s just right. Other types of writing… I tend to procrastinate. The one downside of writing in rhyme is that — if you change a word — you often have to go up and change the whole stanza above. But that’s fine, too. I always tell my editors, who are a bit apologetic asking me to change things — knowing the extra work of rhyme — that it’s okay. There are always other words to choose from.

Maw Books:  What is the best thing about writing books for children?  And what are some of the challenges of writing books for children?

Kim Norman: Probably the best thing is the kids themselves. Getting to meet them and interact with them at schools, once my book is published. And I seem to still have a childlike outlook about many things — humor, fantasy and imagination — so children’s writing just felt like home to me when I decided to give it a try after dabbling in several genres.

The biggest challenge of writing for children, especially picture books, is that EVERY word must count. There’s no room for extraneous plot points, or even unnecessary words, in a picture book. So editing a picture book usually involves cutting — which can be fun and excruciating at the same time. It’s kind of fun, seeing how tight and spare I can make it, but sometimes that means cutting a phrase or sentence I thought sounded especially nice.

Maw Books:  You were really active in musical theater and love to sing and dance. How has that background influenced your presentations when you go into schools to talk about books and reading?

Kim Norman: It has been immensely helpful. No one ever has to ask me to speak up. Unfortunately for my friends, I tend to speak too loudly on the phone, probably because of all those years of having to project to an audience. I also perform a few songs I wrote myself, so the music always adds a nice highpoint at the end of the presentations — to the younger students, anyway. I usually skip the songs with older students who would think they’re too babyish.

Maw Books:  It’s better to have an outgoing presenter than one who you can hardly hear.  Why do you love to visit schools?  What do you think you get out of it in addition to the kids walking away with a “spark” for the love of books.

Kim Norman: I do love it, probably because I’m a natural-born show-off. I’ve also been a home schooler for about a decade, including teaching classes at several co-ops, so I love teaching, too. I’m pretty good at controlling a crowd. In fact, I had a proud moment last week at a small school, where I’d been warned the 2nd grade class can be rambunctious. At one point, they were all listening intently to the story of my struggles with an “Evil Inner Editor.” (I also show pictures of her, which are good for some laughs.) At the end of that section of the talk, a woman who’d been sitting in the back of the room took a second to introduce herself. Turns out she was the principal, who said she was very impressed that I’d tamed those famously energetic 2nd graders.

Maw Books:  Do you have a funniest moment from your school visits?  A time when a child said something really funny or you had an embarrassing moment?

Kim Norman: Can’t think of anything particularly embarrassing; maybe because I’m hard to embarrass after all those years onstage, rolling with the punches. You’ve got to be prepared for anything in theater, ready with an ad-libbed line if something goes wrong, like the time I played the evil Miss Hannigan in ANNIE. I opened a door at the appointed time and found a chagrined policeman who was supposed to be delivering Annie back to the orphanage. He was alone because “Annie” had forgotten her entrance.

Gotta be quick with the rewrites in a situation like that, so countering a silly question or even a student who is being flippant & rude, (a fairly rare occurrence) — it’s all part of the think-on-your-feet training I had in theater.

I don’t want an audience that’s TOO tame, though. I like enough action and noise to know they’re enjoying the performance. (I do consider it a performance, although there is much more student interaction and participation than if I were simply giving a one-woman show). So there are many places where I invite laughter, especially when I show images of my homely “Evil Inner Editor,” created by a computer program which distorts images like a funhouse mirror.

Maw Books:  I’d love to see you in action!  What were you like as a young reader and what are you like now?  Same?  Different?

Kim Norman: I AM different now. I read almost no nonfiction as a child. I was addicted to fiction back then — absolutely INHALED books during what I call my “golden age of reading” around 5th grade. Read all the great series: Little House, Oz, The Black Stallion, even Freddie the Pig. Then as a young adult I spent about half a decade reading thru 19th century classics: Dickens, Austin, Elliott. Some I liked, some not so much. Now I find myself reading more nonfiction, particularly memoirs, (which — I realize — are probably closer to fiction sometimes!)

Maw Books:  I love memoirs.  Some of my best reads.  What is one book you will never be too old to love?

Kim Norman: Oh dear, do I have to pick only one? In that case, I’ll cheat and pick one from picture books and one from midgrade. In picture books, anything with cumulative verse/repetition, like The House that Jack Built. (Both my books coming out next year are based on cumulative verse classics.) And in mid-grades, I love stories set in the early to mid-20th century. I’m fascinated by the Depression and WWII eras. Not the war part, but the way families were living on the home front. (At which point, I should put in a plug for my friend Doris Gwaltney’s marvelous midgrade set in that time frame, HOMEFRONT, Simon & Schuster, 2006.)

Maw Books: I love books set during World War II too.  I’ve just put Homefront on hold at the library.  If you could have anybody illustrate one of your books, dead or alive, who would you choose and why?

Kim Norman: When my kids were little, and we were checking out books from the library, I always loved Steven Kellogg’s jolly illustrations. So much to see on each page! Someone sent one of my early manuscripts to him, and he kindly responded with a handwritten letter. What a sweet guy. He DID illustrate the book of my good friend Debbie Guarino, Is Your Mama a Llama?, which is still in print after nearly 20 years. That’s amazing in this industry of sometimes yogurt-length shelf life.

After that I discovered Stephen Gammell. You could spend hours looking at  one of his books and still find something new next time you opened it. He illustrated I Know an Old Teacher by Anne Bowen, a member of my critique group, and since I love her, I try not to be too jealous.

But so far, I have been very happy with all the illustrators hired by my publishers. My editors are more familiar with all the talent out there, so I’m content to let them do the choosing.

Maw Books: By the way, I recently met Ann Bowen, she’s a local author to me. This is a question that I ask of every author I review and that’s to have them share a favorite recipe of theirs, whether they appear in their book or not. I try to make it and then blog about it later.  Do you have a yummy favorite recipe that you’d like to share?

Kim Norman: How fun! In the past year or two, I’ve been trying to shake up my side dishes. The same old frozen vegetables can get boring. So one of my favorites is roasted vegetables. Any root vegetables will do, although an absolute MUST for me is parsnips, which I discovered a only couple of years ago and wondered, “Why didn’t someone tell me about this delicious vegetable years ago!!?” In roasted vegetables, the natural sugars in the vegetables caramelize, increasing their sweetness.

Cut the parsnips and other vegetables, (carrots, potatoes, turnips, sweet potatoes, etc.) into chunks, maybe an inch or so. I like to include large slices of red pepper for added color. Place in a baking dish and drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with kosher salt, (and black pepper, if you wish.) Cook in oven, 400 degrees, for about 30 to 40 minutes, turning with a spatula at least once during that time. The parsnips will turn a golden brown and the peppers might blacken in a few spots, but they’re still pretty and yummy that way.

Another great thing about this dish is that the flavors combine, so the veggies taste even better the next day, if you’re lucky enough to have some left over. I’ve been known to eat them for breakfast before anyone else is up, so I don’t have to share. (Bad mom! Bad bad mom!)

Maw Books:  I don’t think I’ve ever had a parsnip in my life.  This sounds delicious!  Tell us a bit about your two upcoming books, I KNOW A WEE PIGGY WHO WALLOWED IN BROWN and TEN ON THE SLED?  And when can we expect to see them?

Kim Norman: Oh, one of my favorite topics: upcoming books! Well, as they say, “the good Lord willin’ and the creek don’t rise,” both books should be released on 2010. Dutton has hired Henry Cole to illustrate WEE PIGGY, which tickles me no end. He is such a prolific and popular illustrator. WEE PIGGY, as the longer title implies, is a variation of “I know an old woman who swallowed a fly,” with colors replacing foods in the repetition pattern. At a county fair, Wee Piggy dashes from one colorful adventure to another, wallowing in brown (mud), yellow (butter), red (canned tomatoes… maybe), etc. I say “maybe” because many of those choices will be left up to Henry Cole to illustrate. I built in a rhyme scheme that allows the reader to guess the color coming up on the next page. (Thank you to my critique group buddy, Joe Kulka, for that great suggestion.)

And TEN ON THE SLED is a phrase that popped into my head one day as a variation of the old favorite “Ten in the bed.” In my version, ten arctic animals find themself in a race with an ever-growing snowball filled with the animals who have been recently ejected from the sled. Liza Woodruff is illustrating that, and I’ve already seen her marvelous first sketches. Sterling is hoping to have the book out by the fall of 2010, in time for the winter/holiday season.

Maw Books:  They both sound fantastic!  I look forward to checking both of them out when the are published.  I wish you the best of luck!  Do you have anything else you’d like to share?

Kim Norman: Can’t think of a thing. You’re a terrific interviewer!

Maw Books: Ah, shucks . . thank you Kim!

Kim Norman: Thank YOU, Natasha!

Links of interest: My book review of Crocodaddy,  Kim Norman website,  David Walker website.
Genre:  Picture book, ages 4-8 (I would put it more like ages 3-6 though)
Publisher:  Sterling.  May 5, 2009
Hardcover, 32 pages.  ISBN 978-1402744600
Crocodaddy by Kim Norman is available from your local independent bookstore, Powell’s, Barnes and Noble and Amazon.

Check out what other bloggers are saying on the Kidz Book Buzz tour:  A Christian Worldview of Fiction, A Mom Speaks, A Patchwork of Books, All About Children’s Books, Becky’s Book Reviews, Booking Mama,Cafe of Dreams, Dolce Bellezza, Elizabeth O. Dulemba, Fireside Musings, KidzBookBuzz.com, Looking Glass Reviews, Maw Books Blog, Never Jam Today, Olive Tree, Our Big Earth, Reading is My Superpower, SMS Book Reviews, The 160 Acrewoods, Through a Child’s Eyes

To tell you the truth, I actually haven’t sat down to try to read this book aloud to him yet.  His interest has been high enough without me and that’s a good thing.  And like my son, I have to agree that the illustrations by David Walker are worth poring over.  They really make the book come alive and give it that extra special “umph!” The only complaint that I would have is that the Daddy looks more like he’s a little boy himself.  I’d put him around age ten, which I found a little odd.  He needs to look like a Daddy.  But what I would change to make that so, I’m not really sure.  That said, I do think that the illustrations are the strength of this picture book.

Crocodaddy is a fun, rhyming book about a young boy who goes on a crocodaddy hunt on a hot summer’s day in the lake.  He splishes and he splashes and even gets a ride on the crock’s back as he tries to tame him.  Can he tame the wild beast?  Don’t fear.  Crocodaddy is all fun and games because after all he’s no crock, he’s just . . .  Daddy.

Down in the pond by a mossy rock,
something slithers past the dock.
Minnows dart with startled jerks -
this is where the Crocodaddy lurks!

Crocodaddy would be a fun book to read before heading out to the pool on a hot summer day and  inspire Daddies to play a new game with their kids.  I’m sure they’d get a thrill out of hunting their own Crocodaddy.

Stay tuned for a great author interview with Kim Norman tomorrow!

Links of interest:  Kim Norman,  David Walker.
Genre:  Picture book, ages 4-8 (I would put it more like ages 3-6 though)
Publisher:  Sterling.  May 5, 2009
Hardcover, 32 pages.  ISBN 978-1402744600
Crocodaddy by Kim Norman is available from your local independent bookstore, Powell’s, Barnes and Noble and Amazon.

Check out what other bloggers are saying on the Kidz Book Buzz tour:  A Christian Worldview of Fiction, A Mom Speaks, A Patchwork of Books, All About Children’s Books, Becky’s Book Reviews, Booking Mama,Cafe of Dreams, Dolce Bellezza, Elizabeth O. Dulemba, Fireside Musings, KidzBookBuzz.com, Looking Glass Reviews, Maw Books Blog, Never Jam Today, Olive Tree, Our Big Earth, Reading is My Superpower, SMS Book Reviews, The 160 Acrewoods, Through a Child’s Eyes

To enter, simply share with me  your savvy.  What’s a savvy you say? Why I’m glad you asked!  In the Beaumont family, at the age of 13, each child receives their own savvy.  Think supernatural ability.  No one knows what savvy is going to appear  on their special day and their new talent must be tamed.  Mibb’s mother can do everything perfectly, even if she makes a mistake, it’s a perfect mistake.  Her grandfather can create land and her late grandmother was able to catch radio waves and put them in jars.  Rocket, age seventeen, can create electricity, and Fish, age fourteen, can control water.  In fact when he turned thirteen he wasn’t able to control his savvy and the whole family had to movie after he created a hurricane.

But what’s so wonderful about savvies, is that we each already have our own.  A deep, special hidden talent that is just waiting to be discovered and nurtured.  And I think that’s partly what makes this book so special, it explores finding our own special savvies.

In my interview with Ingrid Law, she said that her savvy would be to breathe underwater and to fly.  In other interviews she’s mentioned that her natural savvy is that she smiles a lot, her silly savvy is that she’s clumsy and spills things all the time.

My dream savvy?  That’s a hard question.  I would love to snap my fingers and have the house clean itself and the food cook itself.  That way I could have time to do other things.  A savvy I already have?  Hmm . . .  I’d like to think that I have an eye for detail.  Nothing escapes my attention.

If you’d like a copy of Savvy for yourself or as a gift for a friend, share with me what your dream savvy would be. If you could have any supernatural ability, what would it be? AND what’s a savvy that you think you already have? To qualify, you must answer BOTH of these questions.  Think of it as me getting to know you better!  Open internationally and will close Wednesday, May 6th.

Ingrid Law’s website and blog.  My interview with Ingrid Law and book review. Many thanks to Kidz Book Buzz for coordinating Ingrid’s blog tour!  Check out what other bloggers are saying about Savvy: A Christian Worldview of Fiction, All About Children’s Books, Becky’s Book Reviews, Booking Mama, Cafe of Dreams, Dolce Bellezza, Fireside Musings, Hyperbole, KidzBookBuzz.com, Looking Glass Reviews,  Never Jam Today, Olive Tree, Our Big Earth, The 160 Acrewoods, Through a Child’s Eyes.

I was super excited when I realized that Ingrid Law was going to be at the LA Times Festival of Books!  I even brought two copies of the book to get signed.  So then I was super bummed when I missed her panel and couldn’t find her signing at any other time.  So, so sad.  I would have loved to chat with her for a moment & get a photo as well.  So many authors there and I didn’t get to see half that I wanted to.

BUT I’ve got the next best thing: a fantastic interview with Ingrid today!  I’m thrilled to present another author who can claim a Newbery under their belt.  So please welcome Ingrid Law to the Maw Books Blog!

Maw Books:  You wrote Savvy in a relatively short amount of time (five months, I believe).  Was this a story that you had been thinking about writing about for awhile before you sat down to write it or did it just hit you with a force that you just had to get it all out?

Ingrid Law: I think of Savvy as a gift.  It came into creation so quickly and with so much excitement and love.  I had been submitting a different manuscript to agents for about six months but kept getting the usual “Dear Author” responses.  However, a couple of the agents who read the whole thing told me in personal notes that they like my writing and to send them future projects.  That boosted my confidence so much and made me realize I needed to start a “future project.”  I sat down to write Savvy without knowing a thing about what I wanted to write.  I decided to write the craziest sentence I could think of without judging it too much.  That sentence became the first sentence of Savvy and stayed the first sentence forever.  After that, the words just rolled out. I think it was a story that just wanted to be here. I just feel fortunate that I got to be the one to tell it.

Maw Books: I’d thought I’d share that first sentence with our readers:  “When my brother Fish turned thirteen, we moved to the deepest part of inland because of the hurricane and, of course, the fact that he’d caused it.”

What surprised you the most as you were writing Savvy? Did anything turn out different than what you intended or did any of your characters/story evolve on their/its own?

Ingrid Law: There were connections in the book to things that were happening for me through the writing process, connections I didn’t consciously recognize until after the book was in print and I had to start talking about it publicly.  That may sound strange, but sometimes I think we know things, yet don’t truly understand their impact until we talk them out.  As feelings become words they alter into concrete meanings.  The biggest example of this in Savvy is, while writing the book, I very consciously told myself to ignore any voices that popped into my head that whispered to me that it might not be good enough, that an idea might be too strange or weird, that told me not to trust myself and tell the story my own way.  Of course, it’s this very same thing that Mibs has to learn as well.  But I can’t remember making a conscious connection between these two things at the time.

Maw Books:  That is a fantastic lesson in follwing your own heart!  As a debut author, did you have the confidence or premonition that Savvy would do so well with readers and critics or were you taken completely by surprise with its reception?

Ingrid Law: Completely surprised!  I thought of it as such a little story.  Cozy and fun.  I knew it was quirky and had some unusual elements.  My sense of humor is usually one that comes out in mostly in my writing, but being a bit of a shy person, I wasn’t sure how other people would respond to it.  I’ve been really amazed and so incredibly thankful for the reception it has received.

Maw Books:  You say that if you could pick your own savvy, you would probably want to fly or breathe underwater.  I’d like to know more about that.  What about flying or breathing underwater would be cool to you?

Ingrid Law: I’m such an escapist and I love solitude.  Flying or breathing under water would allow me the ultimate escapes in beautiful, serene ways, into places where there aren’t a lot of people.  And both would feel weightless, which would be nice, being a fairly weighty person myself!

Maw Books:  I think I’d rather fly than breathe underwater.  Large bodies of water terrify me!  Where were you and what were you doing when ALA called to tell you that you Savvy received a Newbery Honor?  How did you react and what did you do to celebrate?

Ingrid Law: I was sitting in bed hoping that they would call, but not wanting to hope too hard so that I wouldn’t be too disappoint if they didn’t.  They called at about 6:55am.  I was playing a game on my iPod–one that keeps my mind focused when I’m anxious.  After the call, I immediately woke up my daughter to tell her, then cried for fifteen minutes (you would have thought that someone had died), called my family, talked to my fabulous editor, agent, and publishers.   To celebrate, first my daughter and I went and filled a shopping cart for the local food bank–spreading the good, you know?  Later, we had fondue dinner with some wonderful friends from Walden Media who were in town for ALA.

Maw Books:  I love hearing those stories!  Brandon Dorman, Savvy’s illustrator, is a BYU graduate – my alma mater. I loved this cover as soon as I laid eyes on it. After reading the book, I loved the cover even more. What was your reaction when you first saw the book cover of Savvy?  And likewise, what do you think about the other covers for the other editions.

Ingrid Law: Brandon is a genius!  I just got to meet him recently, too, and he’s such a great guy with a really beautiful family.  He is doing the cover of my next book as well and even the sketches are amazing.  I was over the moon when I saw his cover for Savvy.  But I’ve also loved seeing what other art departments for the foreign editions come up with.  In Finland, they used Brandon’s cover.  But the German, Dutch, and UK covers are all so different and interesting!  I can’t wait to see what kinds of covers appear in Korea or Croatia or China (not to mention Indonesia, Italy… am I missing any?).

Maw Books:  Savvy has been optioned for a feature film.  If you could control everything about the movie (ha!) who do you think would be the perfect actors/actresses to be cast into your characters roles?  And if somebody else were to write the screenplay, what would you say they weren’t allowed to change at all and something that you feel has a bit more of a creative license?

Ingrid Law: Oh, such a hard question about actors!  And I almost hate to say who I can imagine in the roles, because I know that if Walden Media does decide to greenlight the film, they will do a great job.  But…. since you asked. bI think Madeline Carroll might make a great Mibs, Luke Benward could match her well as Fish.  Rocket?  A younger, dark haired version of Zac Efron, maybe (he’s got to have those awesome blue eyes)… or maybe Ben Barnes (probably still too old)… who else? Bobbi?  I’m not sure.  Maybe Anna Sophia Robb?  Now you’ve got me thinking and having too much fun.  Someone like Robin Wright Penn, perhaps for Momma–but not quite so thin.  I don’t know!  I love to know what other people think, though.

Enough about actors.  The folks at Walden Media love Savvy and are very protective of the book, so I feel like it’s in good hands.  The screenplay is already close to done and I actually get to meet the screenwriter, Karen Janszen, in LA (or will have just met her when this interview goes up).  So, I’m excited about that.  In regard to changes, I’m doing my best to hold onto a kind of flexible open-mindedness for now. Rigidity makes things more fragile, right?  I am open to seeing what other people’s talents bring to the story.  But I do want it to have heart.

Maw Books:  I would see this movie the day it comes out!  This is a question that I ask every single author I interview and that’s to share a recipe with us – either a family favorite or a food that is featured in the book.  Later, I try to make the recipe and then blog about it.   In Savvy, Mibs wants the perfect cake for her birthday – a cake with pink and yellow frosting, and perfect sugar roses – which isn’t really asking for much since her mothers savvy is being perfect.  Are you the type of mom who would make a cake from scratch, out of a box or buy it from the store?  Do you have either a cake recipe or a family favorite that you could share with our readers?

Ingrid Law: Right now, I can barely manage ordering take out, I’m so busy.  A cake from scratch would be like climbing Everest.  My daughter’s birthday is at the end of the month.  I’ll be sure to buy her something beautiful and delicious.  For years, a dear friend always made my daughter’s cakes because she had mad cake skills!  I’ll make one now and then from a great gluten-free mix (I have a family member who needs this concession).  Then I’ll have fun decorating it.  But that’s pretty easy.

But a favorite family recipe?  I’ll give you a favorite pie recipe from when I was growing up, since Momma’s all about the pies…

Close to Perfect Chocolate Pie

Crust:
1 1/2 cups Nilla Wafer crumbs
6 Tbsp melted butter

Mix well and pat into pie pan. Chill for one hour (more or less) OR bake it at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.

Filling:
Blend for a minute with a mixer or in a blender:
1 package INSTANT (don’t make the mistake and not get instant) vanilla pudding
1 package INSTANT chocolate pudding
1 1/2 cups milk

Now add one pint (2 cups) of softened vanilla ice cream and mix it into the pudding blend. Pour this into the crumb crust and chill for several hours. Top it with grated chocolate, mini chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, or whatever your heart desires! I tried whipped cream once, but it put it too far over the top!

Maw Books:  Whoa!  Sounds too easy and too delicious!  Now that you have a Newbery Honor under your belt, for your debut novel no less, do you feel the pressure when you sit down to write your second book?

Ingrid Law: Yes. I’m going bald.

But . . . since I probably should elaborate a bit (not about going bald, that’s not true–yet): I didn’t think about awards or accolades at all when I was writing Savvy. I just wrote it because I loved it.  With the next book, I’m not trying to out-do Savvy.  I think Savvy will always be the most special book to me, and maybe to everyone else as well, because it came first.  I’m happy to have the chance to write more about this crazy family tree.  But again, while writing, I’m just trying to tell a good story.  After the success of Savvy, I couldn’t ask for more.  I just hope that kids enjoy reading the new book.

Maw Books:  Tell us a bit about the new book that you are writing now, which is a companion novel to Savvy and when we can expect to see it hit bookstores?

Ingrid Law: My second book will come out next year–in summer, I think.  Savvy will be out in paperback next March.  I wish I could tell you the title of the next book, but it’s still being tossed around.  Anyway, yes, it is a companion to Savvy and is told from the perspective of an all new character–a cousin of the Beaumonts–Aunt Dinah’s oldest son, Ledge.  I felt that Mibs’s story had been well told for now, and didn’t want to simply plunk her down into a new adventure just because the book was popular.  Since the books are just as much about the inner journey as the outer, I was ready to explore a savvy birthday from the point of view of someone with different concerns–someone with different things to learn.  Plus, I liked the idea of switching to the POV of a boy character.  It’s been fun to create a new “savvy” voice.  For those people who may be going “Wait! What about all the characters I love?” do not fear.  There will be some familiar faces along the way… only they will be 8-9 years older!  Rocket will be there, as will Gypsy.  And Samson will–and won’t–be there as well. *Mwaa-ha-ha* More savvy-powered fun on the way…

Maw Books:  Argh!  Now you made me want to read it!  Thanks so much for joining us today!  It was fantastic!

Ingrid Law: Thank you, Natasha!

Ingrid Law’s website and blog.  Many thanks to Kidz Book Buzz for coordinating Ingrid’s blog tour!  Check out what other bloggers are saying about Savvy: A Christian Worldview of Fiction, All About Children’s Books, Becky’s Book Reviews, Booking Mama, Cafe of Dreams, Dolce Bellezza, Fireside Musings, Hyperbole, KidzBookBuzz.com, Looking Glass Reviews,  Never Jam Today, Olive Tree, Our Big Earth, The 160 Acrewoods, Through a Child’s Eyes.

Want your own copy of Savvy?  (And why wouldn’t you?!)  Check back tomorrow for a giveaway of Savvy.  Don’t miss it!  Now you must excuse me.  I have a pie that I must go bake . . .

Maw Books:  Welcome Kathryn!  First, what led you to write The Year the Swallows Came Early instead of other books you may have considered writing?

Kathryn Fitzmaurice: The Year the Swallows Came Early was the book I had to write.  I supposed I didn’t have any other ideas until I got this one out.  Now that this one is completed, I’ve been writing about other ideas.  I’m kind of like that; one project at a time.

Maw Books:  You say, “My first novel’s title changed approximately 18 times while I was writing it. Then, when it finally sold to Brenda Bowen at The Bowen Press, she decided the title should be The Year the Swallows Came Early, which, (I promise this is the truth) was the exact title I used when writing my first draft four years ago.”  What were some of the reject titles and what is it that you like so much about this one?

Kathryn Fitzmaurice: First, I have to say that I was so surprised we both came up with the same title!  I suppose this is a sign that it was meant to be, and that is why I have come to like it better than the others.  I had a really hard time deciding what the title should be.  I changed it so many times, mostly depending on my mood or the chapter I was working on at the time.  Some of the past tiles were; Earthquake Weather, Chocolate, Just Right, and then Foodology, which was what the tile was when it sold.

Maw Books:  And it’s so sad that due to economic times, Bowen Press had to close before it even had a chance to soar!  What surprised you most about your book and/or characters as you were writing? Did anything turn out radically different than you’d originally thought it would?

Kathryn Fitzmaurice:  I am one of those writers who doesn’t use an outline.  I do, however, absolutely have a general idea about where I want the story to go, but really, the story evolves as I write it.  For me, a good day of writing occurs when I suddenly see events or conversations that I hadn’t thought about in the beginning.  Those are the best surprises, the ones I hadn’t planned on.

Maw Books:  When you develop a main character like Groovy, do you find yourself thinking about them all the time?  What would Groovy do?  Would Groovy like this?  Do your characters stay with you long after you’ve closed them between the covers of the book?

Kathryn Fitzmaurice: Usually between the hours of 4:30am and 6:30am is the time when I can best hear the characters.  I am completely a morning person.  After 3:00pm, I’m not much good any more.  But, yes, the characters stay with me while I’m writing about them.  Often, I’ll rewrite an entire scene in my head while I’m making dinner or driving my two boys to their practices.

Maw Books:  I just don’t know how morning people do it.  I am in awe.  Was there a particular scene that came to you, or a moment when you said to yourself “oh yes, I have to write about that”, or was it a more gradual process?

Kathryn Fitzmaurice: There were two things I knew I wanted to include in the book, the return of the swallows and the day I first looked through my grandmother’s box of manuscripts that she left to me when she passed away.  These ideas came to me gradually, and were the main concepts I sat down with to write the book.

Maw Books:  I loved that you gave Groovy your grandmother’s box of manuscripts.  What was the most difficult part of The Year the Swallows Came Early to write?

Kathryn Fitzmaurice: The most difficult part to write was when Eleanor forgave her father, because the whole mindset of forgiveness can be a difficult place to get to sometimes.  It took her a long to come around to it.  I wanted to let her get there on her own time, and she did.

Maw Books:  What do you want young readers to come away with after reading The Year the Swallows Came Early?

Kathryn Fitzmaurice: I just hope they enjoy the book.  I say this because I have two teenage boys and I have learned not to push, just suggest.  This makes for a happier house!

Maw Books:  What was it like when you held the finished product of your book in your hands for the first time?

Kathryn Fitzmaurice:  I was overwhelmed with thankfulness toward the people who helped me so much as I wrote the book over the last three years.  I am lucky to be in a fabulous critique group, and my agent, Jen Rofe, at the Andrea Brown Agency, was a tremendous help.  I have learned that writing a book is a much combined effort.

Maw Books:  This is a question that I ask every author I interview and that’s to share a recipe that appeared in the book or a favorite of theirs.  I was giddy when I read The Year the Swallows Came Early because Groovy loves cooking and wants to go to culinary school.  She plans out special menus depending upon the occasion.  Most of what Groovy makes is really simple – meals out of a box, etc but she is so proud of herself. At the back of the book, you already included the recipe for the chocolate covered strawberries that Groovy sells (recipe at end of this interview).  Is there another recipe in the book that you’d like to share with your readers?  And in what situation would Groovy make this recipe?  How would it make her feel?

Kathryn Fitzmaurice: Well, her most special recipe is the chocolate covered strawberries.  But I think her second favorite recipe is scrambled eggs.  She would make these when she wanted to have a nice quiet little dinner, maybe after a crisis, because they would make her feel better.  Her recipe is to use two eggs plus one-eighth cup of milk for each person.  She talks about this recipe in the chapter entitled Scrambled Eggs, which starts on page 251.  This is also where she makes up the word “Foodology”.

Maw Books:  Describe yourself as a reader.  What books influenced and inspired you as a child? As an adult?

Kathryn Fitzmaurice: I read constantly, like I’m sure most writers do.  Usually, I read middle grade novels, but also, I read classic novels that my high school sons are assigned to read.  I read the classics so I can just give a quick glance/check on how their essays are coming along when it comes times to turn them in.  The last classic I read was Richard Wright’s Black Boy, which was assigned to my 15 year old.

When I was a child, I read The Little House books, and, of course, my grandmother’s science fiction books and short stories.

Maw Books:  At this point in your career, what has been your most memorable experience?

Kathryn Fitzmaurice: Absolutely my most memorable experience has been when my little neighbor girl, named Amanda, age 11, came over and told me she read the book and she loved it!!  I just wanted to give her a big hug!

Maw Books:  The Year the Swallows Came Early is your debut novel, what are your goals and aspirations for the future?

Kathryn Fitzmaurice: I hope to write a companion book to Swallows and, in the future, some historical fiction.

Maw Books:  How awesome!  I’d honestly read whatever you write next.  What’s the last book you finished and what’s on your nightstand right now?

Kathryn Fitzmaurice: I just finished reading The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, and right now I am reading Lucky Breaks, the new one from Susan Patron.  They are both amazing books in very different ways.

Maw Books:  Which book or author has most influenced you as a writer?

Kathryn Fitzmaurice: Any book by Kate Dicamillo.  But really, every book I read influences me in some way.  Every author has a different gift.  At some point, no matter what I am reading, I will come across a paragraph or a line that makes me think what a genius the author is whose book I’m reading.  I will re-read it and think, “How did they come up with that?”

Maw Books:  Besides the books you just mentioned, what is a book or author you think everyone should read?

Kathryn Fitzmaurice: This is a very difficult question for me to answer because I am the type of person whose favorite color changes.  Right now, its lime green.  So see, the books I think everyone should read right now will be different next month.  But I guess I would have to say that I loved Where the Red Fern Grows.  Mostly because it had those incredible dogs in it, but it is truly a masterpiece in voice.  The main character is so memorable.  He saves that money for so long to buy his dogs.  You can really feel what he wants.

Maw Books:  What do you do outside the world of books?

Kathryn Fitzmaurice: I do a lot of PTA things for the public schools my boys attend.  I really like knowing the other parents and the principal and the teachers.  And then, most afternoons, I drive my two boys to water polo practices five days a week.  And I walk my dog, Holly, who I’m certain is the smartest dog ever.  I hate grocery shopping.  I’d rather break my arm and get a cast put on it than make out a grocery list and go to the store, which is very unlike my main character!

Maw Books:  I hate taking my kids to the grocery store and I hate going in the evening.  I wish I didn’t have to go either.  What are you working on now, and what new release(s) can we expect to see from you down the road?

Kathryn Fitzmaurice: I am writing a companion book to Swallows, and I hope to rewrite a historical fiction book I’ve been working on for the past two years.

Maw Books:  Is there anything else you would like to share with the readers of the Maw Books Blog?

Kathryn Fitzmaurice: I would just like to thank you for hosting me on your blog.

Maw Books: And let’s not forget:

Eleanor Robinson’s (perfected) secret recipe for chocolate covered strawberries

Ingredients
10-15 large ripe strawberries with the stems intact (as gigantic as you can find)
8 oz. dark (semisweet) chocolate
4 oz. milk chocolate
1/4 cup shortening (Crisco)

Directions

Wash and dry strawberries.
In a medium-size saucepan (or a double boiler) on low heat, melt the dark and milk chocolate and shortening.  Stir constantly.
Using the stem as a handle, dip each strawberry into the chocolate mixture and twirl it until it is mostly and evenly covered with chocolate.  Do  not cover the stem part.
Place the berry on a tray lined with waxed paper to dry.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes or more.
Serve.

P.S. To draw the swallow (like Marisol did), after your strawberries have hardened for 30 minutes in the refrigerator, melt a small amount of white chocolate (1/2 cup of white chocolate chips works well for this) mixed with a teaspoon of shortening.  Dip a toothpick into the mixture while it is still warm, and let the white chocolate drip off onto your strawberry into a pattern.  (It is a good idea to practice first on a napkin.)  Place strawberries in the refrigerator again until the chocolate is hardened.

Thank you so much to Kathryn Kitzmaurice for joining us today.  The Year the Swallows Came Early is also on tour today with Kidz Book Buzz at A Christian Worldview of Fiction, All About Children’s Books, Becky’s Book Reviews, Booking Mama, Cafe of Dreams, Dolce Bellezza, Fireside Musings, Homeschool Buzz, Hyperbole, KidzBookBuzz.com, Looking Glass Reviews, Never Jam Today, Novel Teen, Reading is My Superpower.

You can find Kathryn at her website and blog.

To give you an idea of how much food plays into Groovy’s life, I thought I would share some of the really fun chapter titles with you:

• Five-Star Chocolate-Covered Strawberries
• Tortillas in Cellophane Wrape
• Saltines and Liquid Tylenol
• Burned Tuna Melts
• Not Sloppy Joes with Sweet Onions
• Cinnamon Churro but No Root Beer
• A Nice Tuna Fish Casserole with Peas
• Spaghetti out of a Jar
• Scrambled Eggs

What I love about these chapter titles is that each food obviously corresponds with a certain story in the book.  It’s been a few weeks since I read the book, but I can picture what was happening in each of these chapters.

The book begins on this line:

We lived in a perfect stucco house, just off the sparkly Pacific, with a lime tree in the backyard and pink and yellow roses gone wild around a picket fence.  But that wasn’t enough to keep by daddy from going to jail the year I turned eleven.

The day that Groovy’s father is arrested, her mother’s horoscope says Expect the unexpected.  Because Groovy’s mother relies so heavily on her horoscope, what else could she do after that?   As a result, while Groovy and her father are coming out of their small town local store, an officer stops them arrests her father and tells Groovy to run on home.  Groovy’s mother is tight lipped about the whole thing and won’t say a word.  She locks herself in the bedroom and won’t come out.  This is when I began to really feel for Groovy.  What mother in her right mind would treat her child that way, especially when she’s scared and confused?  Eventually, she reveals that she had her father arrested because he gambled away Groovy’s inheritance, the money that she would have used to go to cooking school.  And to top it off, she has him arrested in front of Groovy.  And then to top that off even more, she tells Groovy that she’ll needs to help earn the money back by selling chocolate covered strawberries at the local store down by the bay.  At this point, I am feeling all kinds of sympathy for Groovy and all kinds of let down for her mother.

Kathryn Fitzmaurice develops these characters so well and so early that I just had to see where this story was going to go.  In addition to Groovy and her parents, we meet other wonderful characters who each have a story of their own, including her best friend Frankie and the mother who abandoned him; Luis, Frankie’s older step brother who took him in and runs the local store; Marisol and her younger brother Frankie who always seem to be around, the first Eleanor Robinson, Groovy’s dead grandmother who left her with special treasure; and Tom, the homeless man who Groovy comes to feel a special connection with.

Groovy learns of loss, betrayal, love, and forgiveness and what is needed to bring a broken family back together again, albeit still a little broken.

This is one of my favorite passages from The Year the Swallows Came Early:

As I lay in bed that night, I started a new page in my cooking notebook.  I made a list of foods that reminded me of things.  I decided that it was one thing to come up with the perfect menus for situations, but also that certain foods could end up reminding people of things. Because from now on, scrambed eggs would always remind me of tonight, when Mama and I sat in lawn chairs in the fog, and I told her the whole story.

Like when people say, “Oh, this corn on the cob reminds me of the time we barbecued at Uncle Joe’s last summer.”  That sort of thing.  Or like that test doctors do where they say a word, and you’re supposed to say the first thing that comes to mind.  Dog, cat.  Night, day.  Scrambled eggs, talking.

My list:

scrambled eggs = talking to Mama in the fog
chocolate-covered coconut candy = our house
one of Luis’s tacos = the swallows coming back
white chocolate = Marisol

Looking it over, I realized everyone’s list would be different depending upon their own memories.

I entitled it:  Foodology.

Half the word coming from food, of course, and half coming from astrology.  I decided that if you could look it up in the dictionary, it would say: (noun) the study of food; the way certain foods remind people of things.

I knew if there were such a word, I would be an expert in foodology.

Kathryn Fitzmaurice will be an author to keep your eye on.  She’s off to a great start and I enjoyed the time that I spent with Groovy.  Visit Kathryn’s website and blog.

Stay tuned! Kathryn has an awesome interview here tomorrow!  And remember those awesome author recipes?  This is the perfect type of book for that!  The Year the Swallows Came Early is also on tour today with Kidz Book Buzz at A Christian Worldview of Fiction, All About Children’s Books, Becky’s Book Reviews, Booking Mama, Cafe of Dreams, Dolce Bellezza, Fireside Musings, Homeschool Buzz, Hyperbole, KidzBookBuzz.com, Looking Glass Reviews, Maw Books Blog, Never Jam Today, Novel Teen, Reading is My Superpower.

So, do you have a certain food that reminds you of a certain something?  Let’s hear them!

For example, if you find yourself in an art museum, you want to be with Carlyn Beccia.  On The Raucous Royal’s blog, Carlyn says this the History/Celebrity Look-a-Like Game is the most entertaining museum game in the history of the art world.  And I’m going to believe her.

The rules:

Players: 2+
Object: To find people in portraiture that look like celebrities.
Points:
6 points for major celebrities
5 points if their dead
2 points for B- list celebrities

Play: Once a famous person is identified in a portrait, the other player has the right to “contest” the call. Contesting a call requires enlisting the help of a “judge” in the form of a stranger, museum curator or 3rd party not involved in the game. The judge must determine if the celebrity look-a-like call is a bad match. If the match is determined a bad call then the player who made the call loses 6 points. You can only contest 3 calls in one game.  The winner is the person with the most points at the end of the museum trip.

For example:

and

As if that isn’t enough to have you rushing out to your nearest art museum, you can also play Save Mary Queen of Scots, a hangman like game where you have to guess the word and save her from the executioners axe.  All the words were a trait of hers.  I seriously couldn’t stop playing.  I was getting nervous whenever I came close to chopping off her head.  What a fun way to continue teaching history without kids actually realizing that they are learning history?

How about learning a curse or two?  Just click on Sure, I’d Like Will to Insult Me and Williams Shakespeare will call you things like a saucy, pox-marked strumpet or a bootless, fat-kidneyed bladder!

Are you a witch?  This is a real hangman game where you are dangling over water.  Take the quiz and you’ll either end up drowned or saved.  I loved the witches scream every time I answered a question in the affirmative.  The questions had me chuckling too.

Tons more.  Quizzes, paper dolls, timelines, more rumors debunked, a detective game where you follow along with the book.  The Raucous Royals website and blog is a perfect example of taking the book to the next level.

The Raucous Royals is also on tour today with Kidz Book Buzz at 01 Charger, the 160acrewoods, A Mom Speaks, All About Children’s Books, Becky’s Book Reviews, Cafe of Dreams, Dolce Bellezza, Fireside Musings, The Friendly Book Nook, The Hidden Side of a Leaf, Homeschool Buzz, Hyperbole, KidzBookBuzz.com, Looking Glass Reviews, Maw Books Blog, Never Jam Today, Our Big Earth, Quiverfull Family, Reading is My Superpower, SmallWorld Reads, SMS Book Reviews

So play the game and tell me, are you a witch?

Maw Books:  Can you tell us a bit about yourself to introduce yourself to our readers?

Carlyn Beccia: My name is Carlyn Beccia and I am an author and illustrator of books for young adults. In my past life, I must have lived in the 16th century because I have always had a talent for horseback riding and I am scary good with a cross bow.

Maw Books:  Now I’m worried.  Remind me not to cross your path!  What was the inspiration behind the witty The Raucous Royals?

Carlyn Beccia: Mary Queen of Scots. Now there’s a woman who caused a lot of raucous. Over 450 years later and still no one can agree on whether she was a silly tart or a victim of unjust rumors. She was the first royal that I fell in love with. That led to my next love…Elizabeth I. And that led to another and another. I kept thinking – all these amazing stories…why didn’t I hear them in high school and college? I felt jipped! The biographies that were taught to me were so watered down that I hardly remembered any of them and what I did remember were mainly just rumors: Napoleon was short. Marie Antoinette said let them eat cake. Anne Boleyn had six fingers. Catherine the Great had a thing for horses. How did I miss the real people behind these rumors? All those court intrigues, love scandals, murders and follies committed – those are the stories that I wanted to tell.  And that is the reason for the book’s format. I wanted the reader to hear the rumor alone first and then guess if it was true or false. You often don’t get to hear both sides first. The book’s format invites readers to experience how a rumor is told and then dive deeper into the truth behind it.

Maw Books:  I read that prior to returning to illustration, you worked as an animator.  Can you tell me more about that?  My husband is an animator as well.

Carlyn Beccia: Yes, I had several jobs before returning to illustration. Animation was great training for illustrating books. It taught me how to keep the reader turning the page.

Maw Books:  What was more fun:  writing the text or illustrating the book?

Carlyn Beccia: They are both fun and they both drive me crazy too. Towards the end of the writing, I sometimes start to get a little burnt out and I will say things like, “I miss illustrating…I just want illustrate books.” And at the end of painting the illustrations for a book, I will say, “I miss writing, I wish I was writing something.”

Maw Books:  What was the research like for The Raucous Royals?

Carlyn Beccia: It was more like truth seeking then research. It’s amazing how history can be interpreted differently by so many scholars. I remember being taught that famous people in history fell into these neat columns of good or evil. I didn’t want to do that to readers. I wanted readers to come to their own conclusions and see all the different areas of gray, and most importantly, judge these royals in the time period in which they lived. I hope in the end that readers will always question everything they read.

Maw Books:  What were the challenges (literary, research, psychological, and logistical) in bringing the book to life?

Carlyn Beccia: Psychologically – Being objective was tough. It’s human nature to interject our own opinions. Logistically- My budget would not allow traveling to every country represented in the book. I chose to visit France and the UK for my research, but someday I would love to visit Dracula’s tomb.

Maw Books:  Dracula’s tomb exists?  Cool!  Who is your most favorite person that you wrote about in The Raucous Royals and why?

Carlyn Beccia: Oh that is tough. I love them all like they are my children…but naughty children. Since the book is about rumors, I would have to say that Elizabeth I as a ruler was a master of statecraft and political propaganda. She had to be to survive! As a woman, she is a bit of an enigma. I feel that I could research Elizabeth for years and years and still never know the real woman behind the crown. To me, that is what makes her so fascinating. We get two Elizabeths – Elizabeth the Virgin Queen and Elizabeth the woman.

Maw Books:  On page 36-37 Queen Elizabeth list’s her favorite and not so favorite things.  Out of the eleven what are your favorites?

Carlyn Beccia: I definitely share Elizabeth’s fear of dentists and her sweet tooth. I would love to learn how to dance a Volta. It is probably much harder than it looks with all that throwing your partner into the air.

Maw Books:  And have you adopted any Elizabethan curses in your household?

Carlyn Beccia: I have a bad habit of calling my 1 year old daughter “my little strumpet” …not exactly a term of endearment in the Elizabethan age.

Maw Books:  I’ll have to keep that one in mind, even though I’m not 100% sure what it means.  I always ask every author I interview to share a recipe with us, especially if it pertains to their book in anyway. I doubt you have recipes for Boar’s Head, Pigeon Pie, Swan Pudding, Roasted Eel, Picked Pig’s Feet, Whole Backed Fish with Spices and Prunes (okay – this one maybe), Marzipan Cake or Quince Marmalade.  But perhaps you have another favorite?  Or maybe even bread, as it was a staple of their diet?

Carlyn Beccia: I would love to share with your readers how to get sparrows to fly out of a pie! Unfortunately, I don’t have that recipe. But I do have the recipe for succory porridge or “pottage” that didn’t make it into the book. Just boil the following ingredients in a big pot and enjoy: Mutton or Beef, Water, Violet leaves, Endive, Succory, Strawberry leaves, Spinach, marigold flowers , Scallions, Parsley, Oatmeal.

Maw Books:  And where does one get violet leaves?  Do you raid the garden?  As an author/illustrator, what are some of your favorite books?

Carlyn Beccia: Anything by Jeanette Winterson, Alison Weir, Ken Follet, John Green, or Antonia Fraser.  I read Plaidy when I am feeling indulgent.

Maw Books:  What can your fans look forward to next?

Carlyn Beccia: My next book is called, I Feel Better with a Frog in my Throat (title pending) and will be released in 2010 by Houghton Mifflin. The book features the most bizarre and grossest cures doctors have used throughout history – leeches, maggots, ground up mummies, unicorn horns and occasional frog slime. I am currently practicing painting blood stains on aged paper. Fun stuff!

Maw Books:  I would love to read that one! It seriously sounds fantastic!  Thank you so much Caryln!

Stay tuned for more tomorrow.  Visit the Raucous Royal’s website and blog.

The Raucous Royals is a fun book that investigates whether or not rumors about famous royalty from history are true or false.  It’s the type of book that you can pick up at any page to read.  You don’t have to read it from cover to cover to learn something new.  Kids (and adults) will love the irreverent witty humour and the equally irreverent illustrations.

The style will be sure to please reluctant readers with tabloid style articles, quizzes, speech bubbles, side text and boxes.  They’ll be so busy learning about whether or not Prince Dracula was a real vampire, how to detect a real witch, and if King Louis XIV had only three baths in his lifetime that they’ll forget that they are learning about real, prominent figures from history.

And if you ask your kids to stop reading The Raucous Royals and go to bed, don’t be surprised if they answer you with “Jarring rump-fed apple-john, I shall not go to thou saucy motely-minded hedge-pig bed!”  And then after you’ve figured out what they’ve said and given them a stern lecture on not talking back you’ll kiss them good night by saying, “Thou art a flowering young-eyed, wafer cake!”

The Raucous Royals is also a great example of mixing the book with it’s online companion.  Tomorrow we’ll take a look at the activities that can be found at The Raucous Royal’s website and it’s own blog dedicated to exploring even more rumors not found in the book.

The Raucous Royals book trailer:

The Raucous Royals is also on tour today with Kidz Book Buzz at 01 Charger, the 160acrewoods, A Mom Speaks, All About Children’s Books, Becky’s Book Reviews, Cafe of Dreams, Dolce Bellezza, Fireside Musings, The Friendly Book Nook, The Hidden Side of a Leaf, Homeschool Buzz, Hyperbole, KidzBookBuzz.com, Looking Glass Reviews, Maw Books Blog, Never Jam Today, Our Big Earth, Quiverfull Family, Reading is My Superpower, SmallWorld Reads, SMS Book Reviews

So what say you? Who invented the word gossip?  Any ideas?